Archives for November 16, 2010

After tasting all 25 chili recipes at the Chili Cook-off ranging from mild to wild, and everything in between, we’ve decided to share the mouthwatering, award-winning chili recipes with our Blue Mountain foodie friends. We hope you love making these chili recipes as much as we loved tasting them!

Chili Good

Prize: Best Chili Chef: Chris Pemlot

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. beef short ribs, bone-in

3-4 TB. CHILI 9000, divided

2 lb. chorizo sausage

1 large onion, minced

1 tsp. dry MINCED GARLIC

1-2 tsp. salt (to taste)

2 14.5 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 14.5 oz. cans puréed tomatoes

4 Cups water

1/2 Cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375°. Wash short ribs, pat dry. Rub on all sides with CHILI 9000, using about 1 tablespoon. Place on a foil-lined baking pan. Bake at 375° for 1 hour. Remove the casing from the chorizo sausage and place in the pan with the short ribs for the second half hour of cooking. This removes a lot of fat from the meat and gives the chili great flavor. Remove the meat from the oven and place in a large stockpot. Add the onion, remaining CHILI 9000, GARLIC, salt, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to break up the tomatoes. Spoon off the fat (if any) as it rises to the top. Half an hour before serving, remove the beef short ribs from the pot, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and place back in the pot. Discard the bones. Toss fresh cilantro into the pot for the final 10 minutes of cooking or top each bowl with a sprinkle. Serve with your favorite chili toppings. (recipe from penzeys.com)

Toast the Spices: Put cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves and star anise (broken into pieces) in a sauté pan. Heat until fragrant and toasted, stirring frequently. Cool the spices and then grind until they are a fine powder.

Add dried chilies to large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stock pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly darkened with intense, roasted aroma, 2 to 5 minutes. Do not allow to smoke. Remove chilies to small bowl and set aside.

Season the trimmed short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Add oil to Dutch oven and heat over high heat until smoking. Add half of short ribs and brown well on all sides (it will be necessary to brown ribs in batches, depending on size of Dutch oven—do not overcrowd pan), 8 to 12 minutes total, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke excessively or meat begins to burn. Transfer to large rimmed baking sheet or plate. Repeat with remaining short ribs, browning them in fat remaining in Dutch oven. Once all short ribs are cooked, transfer all rendered fat into small bowl and reserve separately. Allow short ribs to cool at room temperature.

Meanwhile, return Dutch Oven to medium-high heat and add 1 cup chicken broth, using flat wooden spoon to scrape browned bits off of bottom of pan. Reduce heat until chicken broth is at a bare simmer, add toasted chilies to liquid and cook until chilies have softened and liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer chilies and liquid to blender, add anchovy, tomato paste, ground spices (cumin, coriander, etc. from above), coffee, and chocolate, and blend at high speed, scraping down sides as necessary, until completely smooth puree is formed, about 2 minutes. Set this chili puree aside.

Using tongs, remove and discard bay leaves and bones (at this point, any excess meat still attached to the bones can be removed, chopped, and added back to the chili, if desired). Add red kidney beans, black beans, vodka, and brown sugar, and stir to combine. Season to taste with cayenne pepper, hot sauce, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and additional vinegar.

For best flavor, allow to cool and refrigerate overnight, or up to 1 week in sealed container. Reheat, and serve with desired garnishes.

Green Dog Chili

Prize: People’s Choice Chef: Allison Jagunic

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Butternut Squash

2 cans of Kidney Beans

1 can of Great Northern Beans

1 can of White Hominy

1 can of Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

2 cans of Tomato Sauce

1/2 of a jar of Banana Peppers

2 medium white onions (not pictured here)

Minced Garlic (not pictured here)

Optional: Butter Beans

Step 1: Chop 1 Butternut Squash (leaving the other for later) – into cubes, salt heavily with sea salt, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, at 375

Step 2: Chop the 2 onions to desired size, and start cooking those over medium heat

Step 3: Chop the other Butternut Squash into cubes (should take you about 10 minutes)

Step 4: Add as much garlic (I used 4 heaping spoonfuls) and ALL canned ingredients to the onion mixture

Step 5: Add the chopped butternut squash (just the one – remember – the other squash is cubed and roasting in the oven ) to the onion/garlic/canned mixture

Step 6: Add spices. I used a very fair amount of cumin, chili power and garlic salt – and just a sprinkle or two of crushed red pepper

Step 8: After the meat is browned – add it to the pot – give it all a good stir – and then bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce heat and let it simmer for another 20 minutes

Step 9: Right around then – the timer for the roasted squash should be going off! Remove the amazingly delicious looking squash from the oven

Step 10: Add the roasted butternut squash to the mix

Step 11: Let it sit overnight so all the flavors really meld, and then bring it in to your chili cook off at work – and WIN THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD!

Though the flavors of Chili Cook-off are long gone, their legacy will forever remain in our recipe books. Thanks to all our chili contestants and winners for a deliciously successful fundraiser and to our fabulous winners for allowing us to share their winning recipes with our favorite Blue Mountain friends.